Tag Archives: arab islamist regime in sudan

Turkey rebukes Israel: do they remember Northern Cyprus and the Kurds?

Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Turkey is once more playing the “Israel card” whereby in order to gain credibility at home and to appease the anti-Israeli lobby, the same issue keeps on popping up. However, while individuals or governments who oppose Israel may welcome the ongoing outbursts which break out frequently it is obvious that mass hypocrisy in Turkey renders this a farce.

If Turkey is so concerned about human rights then why not focus on leaving Northern Cyprus, give greater freedom to the Kurds, install equality for the Alevi Muslims, stop attacking Kurds in Northern Iraq and recognize the mass genocide of Christians which took place in 1915 (pogroms before and after this date).

It is insincere for Turkey to keep on using the same issue because Turkey put a blockade on Armenia because of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Also, would Turkey welcome boats entering “their space” if they provided support to the Kurds or if Orthodox Christians desired to show the illegal occupation of Northern Cyprus?

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) also must be questioned because if an inquiry can take place about such a limited event; then how about providing tens of thousands of other inquiries for all the dead Kurds by the armed forces of Turkey?

Also, the ICJ should open tens of thousands of reports in order to highlight the killings in Libya, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria and a host of other countries. The ICJ should not be getting involved in anti-Israeli policies irrespective of the outcome because millions of Africans were killed in Sudan by the Arab Islamists and clearly the leader of Turkey cares little about this. Therefore, if the ICJ is going to spend such resources on an event where the loss of life was minimal – it begs the question, how much per head have they spent on the Arab Islamists regimes over the last 28 years which have killed millions in Sudan?

It is clear that the per-head costs will not compare and anti-Israel policies or over scrutiny of Israel often smacks of anti-Semitism and a liberal Jewish self loathing lobby also does not help.

Daniel Pipes commented in his article which was published by The Washington Times (Turkey in Cyprus vs. Israel in Gaza) the following statement with regards to hypocrisy in Turkey:

“Turkey’s invasion of July-August 1974 involved the use of napalm and “spread terror” among Cypriot Greek villagers, according to Minority Rights Group International. In contrast, Israel’s “fierce battle” to take Gaza relied on only conventional weapons and entailed virtually no civilian casualties.”

“The subsequent occupation of 37 percent of the island amounted to a “forced ethnic cleansing,” William Mallinson said in a just-published monograph from the University of Minnesota. In contrast, if one wishes to accuse the Israeli authorities of ethnic cleansing in Gaza, it was against their own people, the Jews, in 2005.”

“The Turkish government has sponsored what Mr. Mallinson calls “a systematic policy of colonization” on formerly Greek lands in Northern Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots in 1973 totaled about 120,000 people; since then, more than 160,000 citizens of the Republic of Turkey have been settled in their lands. Not a single Israeli community remains in Gaza.”

“Ankara runs its occupied zone so tightly that, in the words of Bulent Akarcali, a senior Turkish politician, “Northern Cyprus is governed like a province of Turkey.” An enemy of Israel, Hamas, rules in Gaza.”

“The Turks set up a pretend-autonomous structure called the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.” Gazans enjoy real autonomy.”

Indeed, irrespective of the motives behind the demonstrators it must be stated that they are blinkered by their own hatred. Why don’t they visit Darfur and show solidarity with African Muslims against the Khartoum Arab-Islamist regime? Why don’t they visit Kurdish areas which are attacked by the armed forces of Turkey? Why don’t they go to Myanmar and highlight a war which gains little media attention?

The same “Why don’ they” applies to so many conflicts and currently we can add Syria to this list. However, clearly the coverage of what Israel does is highlighted beyond a level playing field and it is tinged with racism and mass hypocrisy.

Ahmed Davutoglu, Foreign Minister of Turkey, is clearly following the line of the leader of Turkey and the political hypocrisy is obvious. The armed forces of Turkey have recently bombed and attacked Kurds in parts of Turkey and in Northern Iraq.

At the same time Turkish settlements in Northern Cyprus is maintaining the systematic destruction of Orthodox Christianity and changing the ethnic make-up of this island. The armed forces of Turkey are also illegally in Northern Cyprus and Turkey continues to hinder natural trade with Armenia because of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

Turkey is playing a dangerous game and in the past the Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated that Israel was“perpetrating inhuman actions which would bring it to self-destruction.”

Leaders in Turkey are whipping up anti-Israel passions because of multiple factors, ranging from Turkish nationalism to Islamists within the ruling party who desire to change the secular nature of Turkey by stealth.

The current crisis between Israel and Turkey is not based on the Mavi Marmara incident because deeper issues are at play within the current leadership of Turkey.